Sadistic and Masochistic Page #5

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He was the most hate filled man

I ever worked for.

To be completely honest,

I could have killed him three times over.

His visual skills

were what first attracted me.

Then I gradually got to know

his other facets.

At times, he was almost

impossible to take.

So hateful you really wanted to kill him.

You, as his AD, said the same thing.

You said Konuma

almost drove you to murder.

One time, we filmed out on location.

Konuma listed his requirements

for the shoot-

a beach scene the day after a festival,

all the festival debris.

He wanted shots of men

roaming around the beach.

And he insisted on having children

in the scene,

kids playing there at the crack of dawn.

One of them had to carry a baby,

papoose-style.

I remember.

The shoot was set to start at 4:00 a.m.

We had to go wake up all the kids

at their homes.

We ended up getting one child

from the AD's sister.

It was a newborn,

six months old or something.

Finally, we all assembled.

We were at the rendezvous

by three minutes past 4:00.

Konuma was livid,

and he really let us know it.

The hateful look in his eyes,

full of accusation.

Over three minutes?

I never understood that.

I know how a director feels

in that situation,

but Konuma takes it to extremes.

I've always wondered where

all that anger of his comes from.

I never seem to get so out of control.

I wonder where it comes from?

Those hate filled eyes.

I wish I could show you those eyes.

Believe me,

I saw them a couple of times myself.

You were his leading lady

and also his wife.

Did you ever get to see

his hate filled eyes?

Yes. He was the same at home.

At home too?

Were you shocked at that?

What can I say?

Perhaps because I'm masochistic,

I thought I should put up

with his severe treatment of me.

Then I could overcome almost anything.

It made me a strong woman.

We used to go to the park

with actors and actresses

to rehearse on the day

before the shooting.

But Konuma was never there with us.

We kept rehearsing until, in our minds,

we had perfected it.

He gave us no credit at all for that.

So what do we do?

Cast and crew initiated a rehearsal?

Without the director?

That's how he works!

At the same time, he would

leave the camera entirely up to me.

It sounds like an excuse,

but I've nothing to teach an assistant director

when we're filming porno.

It's nothing like traditional filmmaking.

There's no set method to follow.

But I consider the director and his AD

as one body.

Exactly the same, you mean?

They used to have a saying about me.

Once somebody joined my crew,

their girlfriends or wives

would give them up as a lost cause.

What's a good way to put it?

I demanded they devote everything

to making movies.

OSAMU MURAKAMI - AD & SCREENWRITER

I still don't get him.

How can I put it?

In most cases, you can visualize

the filmmaking process

simply by reading the script.

But Konuma doesn't direct like that.

He starts from the beginning,

mixes it all up, then restructures it.

I think his method makes for better films.

A lot of the ADs

really appreciated his technique.

But once they get used

to his way of working,

it's very hard for them to work

for another director.

That's what they all say.

If you weren't as involved as he was,

he'd get upset.

He'd accuse them of slacking

if they weren't as committed as he was.

He wanted everyone

to share his level of tension.

I was constantly on edge

when working for him.

If he thought we weren't

giving it everything, he'd get angry.

Maybe "tormenting" isn't the right word.

But many of his assistants were quite

benefited by his treatment of them.

Maybe you got some of that?

Yes, a little.

Obviously, some would take it harder

than others.

I was very obedient on the set.

I just carried out his orders.

HIDEAKI YOSHIDA - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

He could be nasty,

but he was usually right.

I was quite nervous back in those days.

Perhaps that was what spurred him

to torment me so.

One time we got a new AD.

Hideo Nakata was his name.

He was about three years my junior.

That took some pressure off me,

and the timing was brilliant.

Konuma raged at him

just like he had at me.

I can remember being thrilled

that he was taking the heat.

The thing is, at the end of the day,

Konuma never betrayed

the ADs in his team.

I don't want to praise him,

but that's how it was.

Probably the same thing

in his private life with women too.

I don't know where that comes from.

But that's just the way Konuma is.

He's strong willed.

He knows what he wants.

Roman porno is essentially

a story of men and women.

Perhaps the overriding theme to his work

is creating male and female

excesses on film.

Farewell, woman.

WOMAN IN THE BOX 2 - WIFE COLLECTOR

Darling!

Darling!

Sometimes I don't know

where my words come from.

Expressions I use in my films

are straight out of Konuma.

Me, too, when I'm directing.

I rage at actors just like Konuma.

That came as a shock.

Using the same words?

Yes, all the time.

He can be frightening.

What's your impression of Konuma?

The man is a bloodsucker.

HIROSHI HANZAWA - PRODUCER

He sucks up ideas from other people.

I wonder if he has any originality.

I've known him for 10 years,

and I still don't know him.

But he'll suck up good elements

from anyone he's involved with.

That's one really strong aspect

of Konuma's personality.

He'll take that useful thing from them

and use it in his work.

At the same time, he's very charming

so you can't hate him.

I never expected you to say that.

I imagined everybody

would detest the man forever.

I expected you in particular

to speak ill of him.

Well, the thing is-

It's not as simple as you expect it to be.

It's easy to cut off the relationship

if you think he's wronged you.

Even if you decide,

"No more Konuma!"

He'll still call you

as if nothing happened.

He's always calling me.

I never really knew

what he wanted from me.

I never got a straight answer from him,

and I always ended up

unhappy with my work.

You can never expect him

to praise you for your work.

He always manages to look so annoyed.

So what can you do?

You don't even know what you should say.

I always felt I gave him the wrong answer.

I'd rather not work with him,

but, once I do, it's hard to get away.

How can I put it?

My impression is that he's like a turtle.

Yeah, a turtle.

He reminds me of a turtle.

Don't tell him I said so.

There's an element

of the lonely old man in him.

As if he's clad in his own shell

or a suit of armor.

I guess he's actually a very sad

and lonely little man.

And he's full of regret.

"Why did I do that? Why? Why?"

Maybe I'm not being too clear,

but that's my image of Konuma.

So he's like a turtle?

Yes, with only half his head

sticking out of that crusty shell.

This turtle never swims.

He's always bone dry.

There are turtles like that-

they never go near the water.

They live on land, and they're not

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